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Bridge connecting downtown Winnipeg to the French Quarter. Photo from Facebook.

WINNIPEG — After
a second restaurant operator closed on the Esplanade Riel pedestrian bridge,
the future of the space is up for debate.

Sophie and
Stephane Wild, operators of Chez Sophie Bistro in Winnipeg’s St. Boniface,
announced the closing of Chef Sophie sur le pont in early February.

The restaurateurs took the keys to the restaurant
4,000-square-foot space on the side-spar
cable-stayed bridge connecting downtown Winnipeg to the French Quarter in the spring of 2013 after the first operator, Salisbury House,
decided not to renew its lease after seven years.

A translation of the statement of Chez Sophie’s Facebook page reads: “After careful and lengthy consideration and consultation with our advisors, it is with great regret that we must announce the closure of Chez Sophie Ltd. on the bridge of this date. During our two years of operations, we have become rather obvious that the seasonal income was not sufficient to meet the extraordinary expenses related to a restaurant on the bridge. We have dedicated body and soul to this restaurant for several months trying to find solutions to our precarious situation, even to our health and our personal finances at risk.”

According to the Winnipeg Free Press, The Wilds were given free rent for the
first year of a five-year lease in exchange for extensive renovations between
$150,000 and $200,000. The couple were paying $2,000 monthly after the first
year.

According to CTV
News, several city councilors have said the city might have to play a
bigger role in making the site more viable for restaurateurs. Some want the
site open year round, while other councilors say it may mean having more than
one tenant, or may require a redesign.

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Ishcom Publications was established in 1986 with the launch of Ontario Restaurant News, offering national coverage with a provincial focus of the news that matters to the restaurant and foodservice industry. The company expanded its regional concentration with the addition of Pacific/Prairie Restaurant News and Atlantic Restaurant News. In 2004, Ishcom Publications added Canadian Lodging News to its portfolio to offer its industry news coverage to the accommodation sector.